Basketball Game Preview: ABF Academy Cowboys vs. Hialeah Gardens Gladiators

The ABF Academy Cowboys are taking a road trip to challenge the Hialeah Gardens Gladiators at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. ABF Academy has insisted on making their lastthree contests complete nail-biters, turning in a record of 1-2 during that stretch of close contests.

Last Friday, ABF Academy didn't have quite enough to beat Centennial and fell 55-52. That's two games in a row now that the Cowboys have lost by exactly three points.

Meanwhile, Hialeah Gardens came up short against Miami Beach two weeks ago and fell 67-59. The Gladiators have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

ABF Academy will need focus on slowing down Ray Hernandez Jr, one of several Hialeah Gardens players who made an impact when they last played. He dropped a double-double on 11 points and 16 rebounds. Hernandez Jr is crushing it when it comes to rebounds: he's pulled down at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Eduardo Hernandez, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Even though they lost, Hialeah Gardens smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 23 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 18 consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Hialeah Gardens' loss dropped their record down to 2-6. As for ABF Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-5.